Mahwah College Student Selected For Competitive Sustainability Program

MAHWAH, NJ – A Ramapo College junior has been selected to participate in a competitive summer internship program that serves as a hub for research projects addressing climate change, a news release from the college said on Friday.

Prithivi Rana, an engineering physics major in the School of Theoretical and Applied Science, was selected to participate in the Public Service Enterprise Group Institute for Sustainability Studies Green Teams program.

“Prithivi is a rising senior in the Engineering Physics program and one of the strongest students we had in the past five or six years," Ramapo Associate Professor and Convener of Engineering Physics Catalin Martin said in the news release. "He’s an excellent student.”

The program, now in its seventh year, is an trans-disciplinary summer opportunity for college and university students from across the country, and this year, it is being held at Montclair State University.

Sponsored primarily by PSEG and the National Science Foundation, the program pre-selects students based on curriculum, faculty recommendations and a personal essay, and then a committee makes final selections based on an interview.

Students in the Green Teams program are divided into 10 teams and paired with host organizations to survey, research, analyze and then report on sustainability projects for partner organizations, including Cranford-based maritime construction contractor Weeks Marine.

Joining four students on the Weeks Marine team, Rana will help produce a database of the company's generators to determine its carbon footprint, and then prepare a strategy to reduce emissions and costs.

"The Green Teams program has provided me with a great opportunity to apply the skills I’ve learned through the amazing physics program at Ramapo and do some hands-on work that brings an impact in the world," Rana said in a statement. "I feel lucky that I have this opportunity to work with a very supportive and encouraging team."